College Sports Blog

Boykin knows fast start is crucial against Sooners

TCU started sluggishly against SMU. Just seven first half points meant the Frogs trailed at halftime. If his team duplicates that slow start against Oklahoma, quarterback Trevone Boykin knows they will not be so fortunate to only be down three.

“It has to be very important [to start fast] because the way we started last week, if we play around like that in the first half, we may not be around to even try to come back in the game in the second half. A fast start is very important,” Boykin said.

His comments were echoed by TCU head coach Gary Patterson who explained how the Sooners hit their stride in the second and third quarters.

“You’ve got to go to a fast tempo, and you have to get ready to play quickly,” Patterson said at his weekly press luncheon. “If you look at [Oklahoma's] stat line, they’ve outscored people 81-14 in the second and third quarters. 47-0 in the second quarter. They up their play once they’ve figured out what you’re doing.”

“You’ve got to come out of the tunnel. Then you’ve also got to match them in the second quarter,” Patterson said.

Boykin who will be making his first start at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium said excellent preparation is the key to a fast start.

“Knowing what they’re going to do, we have certain plays to beat their defense, and it’s my job to get us into those plays for us to move forward,” Boykin explained.

In addition to the talented Sooner defense, the TCU offense will also have to combat the crowd noise at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

“I’ve never been to a game down there,” Trevone Boykin said. “People have told me it gets pretty loud. That is just something you have to prepare for. Texas Tech was pretty loud, but once the ball is snapped, everything is pretty much tuned out.”

Patterson said that the coaching staff will simulate crowd noise this week in practice.

“We’ll do a lot of crowd noise things after today on Wednesday and Thursday to make sure we communicate and get ourselves ready to go,” Patterson said. “It’s loud there. It is.”

TCU actually played better on the road last season with five of their seven wins coming away from Amon G. Carter stadium in 2012.

~You can follow Alex Apple on Twitter @AlexAppleDFW, and be sure to follow @SportsDayDFW as well.~

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